How NIWA reduced boat accidents, deaths by 30%

By Adebayo Adedeji

National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is a federal agency, under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, responsible for regulating, monitoring and enforcing laws on Nigeria’s waterways. And since October 30, 2023, when Mr Bola Oyebamiji became head of the agency, NIWA has been discharging its duty creditably, reducing the death rate arising from boat accidents by 30 per cent in 2024.

Before Oyebamiji’s assumption of office, industry reports by Marine Crafts Builders Association of Nigeria ( MCBAN) put the number of deaths to boat accidents in 2021 and 2022 at an average of 330. However, in 2024, another industry stakeholders, Ships and Ports News, reported that the fatality figure had reduced to 231, highlighting the tremendous improvement experienced on our waterways. This is contrary to an outlandish figure peddled in recent time by some vacuous news puppeteers.

While the quoted fatality rate of 2024 is still a far cry from the standard expected from the agency, it is no doubt a good achievement that could be improved upon if the regulator does not rest on its oars.

Nigeria is blessed with abundant waterways crisscrossing 28 states and spanning 10,000 kilometers with about 3,800 kilometers navigable seasonally. However, the country has continued to record deaths on the waterways as a result of many factors. According to Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), formerly Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), more than two thirds of all boat fatalities are drowning incidents and 90 per cent of these victims did not wear Personal Floatation Device (PFD), otherwise known as life jacket. The bureau, charged with the responsibility to investigate any transportation accident, including marine accident, says life jacket is one of the most important pieces of safety equipment on a boat. It says: “Life jackets save lives.”

NSIB in its preliminary report, on a boat accident that occured at Onono Jetty, Anambra State, en route Asaba Jetty, Delta State, on April 10, 2024, accentuates the importance of life jacket usage on waterways. It says its findings indicate that besides the fact that the outboard engine fire boat conveying 12 Nollywood movie production crew was not registered with NIWA, only one of the passenger on board wore a life jacket and he was one of the survivors of the accidents. The report says if all the passengers in the boat had life jackets on, this would have kept them afloat in the river for some time before being rescued. The bureau, in page 11 of its report, commended the leadership of NIWA in its public enlightenment and sensitisation drive, adding that if the safety advocacy carried out by NIWA had been adhered to, the Asaba accident would not have occured and if it had, fatalities would not have been recorded.

Similarly, in his preliminary report on an accident involving a wooden canoe which occured along River Rima by Dundaye village, Wammako Local Government, Sokoto State on August 11, 2024, the bureau maintains that the five fatalities recorded in the boat mishaps would have been avoided had it been the occupants of the canoe were provided with personal flotation devices and other safety gear by the boat master ( canoe driver) as stipulated by the NIWA regulation. The report also brings to fore the importance of providing passenger manifest. Earlier reports, the bureau says, indicated that 35 persons boarded the canoe. However, later in the day, it was confirmed that only the driver and 20 persons boarded the canoe. Had the driver provided the passenger manifest, the accident report points out, the earlier reported figures about the number of persons would have been easily identified. The foregoing enforces NIWA’s stance that many of the bandied fatality figures in the media are inaccurate, politically motivated and designed to cast aspersion on the leadership of the agency and its staff.

NSIB also praises the joint rescue effort led by NIWA, Sokoto State Emergency Agency (SSEA) and Red Cross of Nigeria which led to successful rescue of 16 passengers on board, stating that timely search and rescue should be prioritised by concerned authorities.

In the last 14 months, NIWA has invested significantly in safety equipment, impact of  which is being felt in rescue operations on our waterways in recent time. It some months ago strategically deployed 10 patrol and water ambulances. The agency also incubated Water Marshall initiative (WMI), deploring 350 marshalls to loading and offloading terminals nationwide to enforce regulations and participate in rescue operations. While the number of the marshalls seems inadequate given the vastness of Nigeria’s waterways, the impact being made by the initiative can not be ignored. No fewer than 2,000 life jackets have been freely distributed to boat operators in the last 12 months to ensure safety of passengers.

To also make waterways safe and secure for use and nagivation, the agency acquired waterweed equipment for clearing of water hyacinth and other aquatic weeds.  Some of the equipment acquired includes the Water Master Classic 111, four AVC 101 equipment (Swamp Devil) and one  Water Weeds Harvester. These equipment have been deployed to some of the agency’s area offices across the country for operation.

Today’s NIWA has demonstrated capacity to manage our waterways effectively and securely, and it is only hoped it could improve on its achievement thus far, so that by 2027, deaths arising from boat accidents on our waterways would have reduced to barest minimum as envisaged by the leadership of the agency in line with the mandate handed to the supervisory minister,  Adegboyega Oyetola, by President Bola Tinubu. The renewed NIWA can better function if it engages more hands in his safety operations and regulation enforcement. The agency should ensure only qualified boat drivers and navigational equipment certified by it are allowed to ply our waterways. And finally, the agency should seek better funding of its operations through the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. NIWA needs more state-of-the-art facilities to better serve enthusiastic water users.

• Adedeji, a journalist writes from Ilesa, Osun State